LONE STAR LE MANS: PORSCHE PREVAILS IN AUSTIN’S RAINFALL

Porsche’s return to victory in the FIA WEC was anything but straightforward—it was a true endurance marathon full of obstacles. After nearly a year-long drought—their last win dating back to the 6 Hours of Fuji 2024—the Penske Motorsport 963 LMDh climbed back to the top step of the podium thanks to Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Matt Campbell. A triumph built through heavy rain, five safety cars, and regulatory chaos that defined the 6 Hours of Austin.

The Lone Star Le Mans will also be remembered for another milestone: McLaren’s first-ever LMGT3 victory, achieved with the United Autosports 720S driven by Marino Sato, Sean Gelael, and Darren Leung.

Weather dictated the entire race. Following an opening downpour, race control started the field behind the safety car. Early spinouts and a clumsy handover between safety cars only worsened the chaos: the first had to pit for fuel, while the second rejoined the track in the middle of the pack, shuffling positions. A red flag became inevitable after just one hour.

After a 40-minute stoppage, racing resumed with no respite. The Alpine of Makowiecki and the Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH of Gamble both went out due to aquaplaning, triggering another neutralization. It wasn’t until the third hour that a true battle unfolded, with Phil Hanson (AF Corse) going wheel-to-wheel against James Calado, both in Ferrari 499Ps. Calado took the lead, while behind them Estre began his charge forward.

Pit stops completely reshaped the race. Hanson made a mistake entering pit lane, costing the team precious time and dropping his Ferrari to fifth. Campbell and Fuoco capitalized, slotting in behind new leader Giovinazzi. But the race flipped once again with less than two hours to go: under safety car conditions, Estre attacked Pier Guidi, contact punctured the Ferrari’s tire, and Porsche inherited the lead.

From there, the execution was flawless: the drying track, a conservative call to stay on wet tires, and only a refuel. A strategy that paid off, handing Estre and co. a massive victory for Stuttgart.

Right behind, the Ferrari of Fuoco, Nielsen, and Molina minimized the damage with a consistent run to second. Third and fourth went to the Peugeot 9X8s, finally competitive thanks to a favorable BoP, while Pier Guidi salvaged valuable championship points with a comeback to fifth after the incident.

It was a weekend to forget for Toyota, never in contention in the wet and far off the pace, with Buemi, Hartley, and Hirakawa managing only ninth. Alpine and BMW also struggled, the latter losing Rast’s M Hybrid V8 early to technical failure. Sauber and Aston Martin Valkyrie showed promise but both were forced to retire in the closing stages.

In GT3, the race was decided only after the checkered flag. Davide Rigon had seemingly delivered victory to the Ferrari 296 GT3 with a spectacular charge on slicks, but a five-second penalty for overly aggressive driving dropped him to third.

That opened the door for Sato, Gelael, and Leung, who secured McLaren’s historic first win in the WEC. Behind them, Valentino Rossi, together with Al Harthy and van der Linde, claimed a strong second in the WRT BMW M4 GT3, ahead of the penalized Ferrari of Rigon.

The class top-five was rounded out by the other BMW of Farfus, Boguslavskiy, and Shahin, and the McLaren of Cottingham, Baud, and Saucy. Drudi and teammates managed only sixth with the Aston Martin, while the Ford Mustang GT3s faded late due to a poor tire call.

Between safety cars, rain, and relentless twists, the 6 Hours of Austin wrote a memorable chapter in endurance racing. For Porsche, a long-awaited redemption; for McLaren, a debut victory opening new horizons. Ferrari remains firmly in the fight, Toyota falters, Peugeot surprises. The WEC season proves once again to be unpredictable, with every race ready to rewrite what seemed like a settled balance of power.

© Cavalieri Garage & Co.